Governor for steam-engines.



N0. 896,376x PATENTED AUG. 18, 1908.

' J. W. GARDNER. v

GOVERNOR" FOR STEAM ENGINES.

APPLICATION I'ILEDJAN. 2, 1908.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

0 I H v No. 896,376. PATENTED AUG. 18, 1908-.

J. W. GARDNER. GOVERNOR FOR STEAM ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 2, 1908.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

JOHN WILLIS GARDNER, OF QUINCY, ILLINOIS.

GOVERNOR FOR STEAM-ENGINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 18, 1908.

Application filed January 2, 1908. Serial N 0. 408,878.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN WILLIS GARD- NER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Quincy, in the county of Adams and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Governors for Steam-Engines, and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in variable speed governors for steam engines, and the invention refers more specifically to an improved construction for varying the resistance against which the governor balls or weights are thrown outwardly by centrifugal action to close or throttle the governor valve and thereby vary the speed of the engine when driving an approximately uniform load or for maintaining an approximately uniform speed when driving varying loads.

The invention consists in the matters hereinafter set forth and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims. 7

As shown in the drawings :Figure 1 is a side elevation of a speed governor made in accordance with my invention, showing the governor valve chamber in vertical section. Fig. 2 is a vertical axial section of the governor mechanism above the valve chamber. Fig. 3 is a partial vertical section and partial elevation, showing a modification. Fig. 4 illustrates a modification of the device for varying the length .of the governor valve stem.

In said drawings, A desi nates the valve casing provided with in et and outlet branches A A respectively, and A designates a vertically reciprocating valve closure, of the piston type, engaging a seat formed by upper and lower seat rings a a mounted in the upper and lower walls of an extension casing A extending into the valve chamber from the inlet branch A. The governor stand or frame comprises two lateral,upright members B B rising from and supported on the upper wall A of the valve casing, a hollow head B connecting the upper ends of said members, and an upright hollow standard B seated at its lower end in the hollow head and rising therefrom. C C designate upper and lower sleeves surrounding and having rotative bearing on said tubular standard and to said sleeves are piv.

oted the toggle levers. c c of the centrifugal weights or balls C of the governor. The lower sleeve C is vertically confined on the. standard B between the head B of the. frame and a collar 1) surrounding said stand-, ard and itself, as herein shown, surrounded by a vertical flange of said lower sleeve. The upper sleeve 0 is adapted to slide verti-, cally on said hollow standard, said sleeve sliding downwardly'thereon as the weights or balls C are thrown outwardly by centrifugal action. D designates a spiral, expansively acting spring interposed between said. upper and lower sleeves and against the resistance of which the centrifugal weights are thrown outwardly. The said weight supporting sleeves and the weights carried there-I by, as well as the spring D, are rotated through the medium of a gear-pinion .E, which surrounds and is fixed to the lower sleeve C and a gear-wheel E which is fixed to the inner end of a horizontal shaft E that is rotatively mounted in a bearing bracket, B stationary with the governor frame or stand.

In accordance with my invention, the governor valve stem, through which motion is transmitted from the revolving centrifugally operated weights or balls to actuate the valve to diminish the area of the steam passage through the valve, is so constructed that it may be shortened or elongated, as desired, within a limited range in such man ner as to vary the effective resistance of the spring against which the valve is closed, and thereby vary the speed of the engine or maintain a given speed with varying loads. In the present instance, this result-isaccomplished by raising or opening the valve as the governor valve stem is shortened, andvice versa. Thus when the governor is adjusted to a high speed by shortening the governor valve stem, a greater extent of movement of the stem and valve is required to close the valve, with the result of increasing the compression of the spring D and correspondingly increasing its resistance to the closing of the valve. The particular construction herein shown by which this result is efiected is as follows: The governor valve stem comprises an upper member F which extends axially through the head B and the hollow standard B a lower member F which is connected with the valve A and. extends upwardly through a suitable stufiing box a in the upper wall of the valve cham- 7 her, and an adjustable connection between said upper and lower members, comprising riorly screw-threaded to engage exterior.

screw-threads of said connecting piece F As herein shown, said connecting piece F is provided at its upper end with an axial socket in which the lower end of the upper. valve stem member is seated, and a pin f, which extends transversely through the upper valve stem member and engages upwardly opening notches f in the connecting piece at the sides of the axial socket therein, prevents relative rotation of said parts.

The connection between the nut F and the lower member, F of the governor valve stem consists of a head f 2 on the upper end of said stem member which engages an upwardly facing, internal shoulder of the nut above a reduced opening in the lower end of the nut throughwhich the lower stem member extends, and said nut and stem member have screwthreaded connection with each other. The parts are additionally secured together by means of a pin'f which extends transversely through the nut and said stem member. To the upper end of the upper stem member F is fixed a head 1, made of slightly less external diameter than the internal diameter of the sleeve 0, and.

said head opposes the lower face'of a plug 0 which axially enters the upper end of said sleeve C and has screw-threaded engagement therewith. The said sleeve rotates relatively to said stem member, and any suitable antifriction devices may be interposed between said head f and the plug 0 A spring device is provided which acts on said governor valve stem to normally hold the valve in its open position and the connecting piece F engaged with the upper governor valve stem member F. The spring device here1n shown for this purpose is made as follows: G designates a two armed lever which is fixed to the outer end of a short horizontal rock-shaft G that is mounted at its ends in suitable bearing lugs b b on the vertical members of the governor standor frame at the level of said connecting piece F Fixed to the inner end of said shaft is an arm G jwhich is forked at its free end to engage recesses formed on the laterally opposite sides'of the connecting piece F G3 designates a spring-pressed plunger contained partially within a socket 1) formed in a horizontally enlarged portion 6 of the governor stand or frame. Said plunger engages at its outer end a notch in the inner face of the upper arm of the lever G, and it is forced toward said arm by means of a spiral, expansively acting spring 9 surrounding the plunger and interposed between the head of the plunger and an adjusting screw 9 entering the rear end of said socket 19 The adjusting screw serves to vary the ten-- sion of the plunger spring to cause it to act with greater or less power to hold the valv in anadjusted open position.

In the operation of the construction shown, the spring pressed device just described serves at all times to hold the connecting. piece against which it acts upwardly againstthe upper member of the valve stem so that the valve will always respond promptly andaccurately to the movement of the centrifugal weights.

The effect of adjusting the valve stem in a manner to shorten it, in the construction herein illustrated, is to raise the valve in'its seat and increase the area of steam passage therethrough. In proportion to the extent that the governor valve stem is thus shortened and the valve raised or opened, a correspondingly increased movement of the valve stem and centrifugal weights is required to close or partially close the valve and a correspondingly increased compressing of the creased the resistance afiorded by the spring against the action of the centrifugal Weight to close or partially close the governor valve and in proportion as such resistance is, in'

this or an equivalent manner, increased will the speed of the engine will be increased.

Contrariwise, the lengthening of the governor.

valve stem has the effect to adjust the governor to a lower speed of-the engine.

The said adjusting nut F may be pro vided with finger lugs f as indicated in Fig. 4, whereby the nut may be rotated to adjust the governor. If, however, the nut be lo cated at an inaccessible position, or it is de-- sired to adjust-the governor from a distant point, I may employ the adjusting gear shown in Figs. 1 and 2 which is made as ollows: H designates a sleeve which surrounds the nut and is rotatively mounted in a bearing bf made integral with the upright members B of the governor stands. Said sleeve is formed at its lower end to provide a beveled pinion H which meshes with a beveled gear wheel H fixed to the inner end of a horizontal shaft HF that is rotatively mounted in a suitable bearing 1) on the governor stand. Said sleeve is formed with a bore which permits the nut to slide therethrough while preventing relative rotation of the sleeve and nut. As herein shown, the nut has a polygonal exterior contour and the bore'of the sleeve is similarly formed, but made larger in diameter. Thus it will be seen that rotation of the shaft H operates,

through the gear-wheel and pinion mentioned, to rotate the adjusting nutF in point.

'90 spring D is effected. To a like extent is in-- ing the speed of the engine.

If it be desired to provide for an extreme wide range of speed in the engine, I may employ the construction shown in Fig. 3, wherein is provided an additional spring resistance which is brought into service after the valve has been partially closed from its full open position, so that during the remaining travel of the governor valve stem to close the valve, the accumulative resistance of two springs is employed, thereby greatly increas- This result may be conveniently accomplished by providing an additional or .auxiliary spiral spring I, surrounding the tubular standard B of the governor stand or frame and located within the spring D before mentioned. hen the auxiliary spring is employed, a ring I is seated in an upwardly opening recess in the upper end of the lower rotative ball carrying sleeve B against which the lower ends of both of said springs D and I bear. A similar ring I may be placed on the upper end of the auxiliary spring to receive the direct contact of the lower end of the upper ball supporting sleeve 0, when said sleeve is forced down- -wardly by the outward throw of the centrifugal weights. It will be observed that in the normal or inoperative position of the parts, said lower end of the sleeve C is located a distance above the upper end of the spring I, so that during the first portion of the downward travel of said upper sleeve and the governor valve stem, the resistance due to the spring D only opposes such downward movement. Then, however, the lower end of the sleeve C strikes the ring I of the auxiliary spring, the combined resistances of both springs oppose the further descent of the parts. Such auxiliary resistance is utilized when the governor valve stem is adjusted for high speed and operates, in conjunction with the adjustment of the governor valve stem, to produce and maintain the maximum speed of the engine at the time the said stem is adjusted to its minimum length.

In the above description reference has been made to adjusting the governor to vary the speed of the engine, such variable speed being predicated on an approximately uniform load and steam pressure. It will be understood, however, that the same construction may be employed for maintaining a substantially uniform speed of the engine where the load which the engine drives varies through a limited range.

The construction herein shown illustrates one approved embodiment of my invention, but it will be'obvious that the same results may be secured in substantially the same manner by other embodiments of the invention differing in structural details from the construction herein specifically described.

I claim as my invention 1. In a speed governor, the combination of. the governor valve, a governor valve stem, a centrifugal weight arranged to act through the stem to close the valve, and a spring arranged to oppose the action of said weight to close the valve, said valve stem comprising upper and lower members and a rotative adjusting nut coimecting the same, an adjusting hollow pinion surrounding said nut, and with respect to which the nut is endwise movable, and a pinion meshing with said adjusting pinion and fixed to a shaft which is rotatively mounted on a fixed part ofthe governor stand.

2. I11 a speed governor, the combination of the governor valve, a governor valve stem, a centrifugal weight arranged to act through the stem to close the valve, and a spring ar ranged to oppose the action of said weight to close the valve, said valve stem comprising upper and lower members and a rotative adjusting nut connecting the same, and means for rotating said nut to adjust the length of said stem comprising a sleeve through which said nut loosely extends arranged to rotate the nut, a gear on said sleeve and an operating shaft provided with a gear meshing with said sleeve gear.

3. In a speed governor, the combination with the governor valve, a governor valve stem, a centrifugal weight operating through said stem to close the valve, and a resistance element arranged to oppose the action of said weight to close the valve, of means for varying the length of said governor valve stem I and an auxiliary resistance element arranged to oppose the closing movement of the valve due to said centrifugal weight during the lat ter part only of said closing movement.

4. In a speed governor, the combination with the governor valve, a governor valve stem, a supporting frame or stand, two sleeves revolubly mounted on said frame, one of which is movable towards and from the other, centrifugal weights connected by levers with said sleeves, a spring interposed between said sleeves to oppose the movement of the weights to close the valve through said stem, and a second spring also interposed between said sleeves and made shorter than the first spring, for the purpose set forth.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my invention I affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses, this 28th day of December A. D. 1907.

JOHN WILLIS GARDNER WVitnesses:

GEORGE A. WALL, ARTHUR H. RAPP. 

